The project resolves a simple program in 3 levels for the new Archive Building of the Social Welfare Fund of the Province: Ground floor and the 1st floor for file filing areas next to workstations, toilets and kitchen. On the upper level, a SUM for events and social gatherings. However, the low programmatic complexity is revealed to be more challenging given the particular characteristics of the lot: a minimal front (only 4.5 meters wide) and oppressed between two high dividing walls in the heart of the city.

Faced with this, the proposal incorporates TWO COURTYARDS (one in front and one in the back) as sources of lighting and natural ventilation for the interiors and assigns particular characteristics to each of them: The front courtyard acts as a "filter" between the noisy street space and interiors (intended for work environments that predispose to concentration). In this entrance courtyard, one of the stairs is also resolved that allows, at the express request of the client, independent and direct access to the SUM on the 2nd floor. The patio in the back, on the other hand, is a space conceived for resting during the working day and as a natural and direct expansion of the work area.

From the morphological point of view, this project was conceived as a visual “pause”, as a “backwater” in a context characterized by high levels of visual and auditory pollution. In this sense, the “ventilated” black skin allows a glimpse of the patio and the staircase that act as a prelude to the interior environment, condensing a proposal characterized by constructive simplicity and the austerity of aesthetic resources. The diaphanous interiors and free plants for a flexible work space characterized by the simplicity and sobriety of a construction technique that is exhibited as the only aesthetic resource.

Team:
Architect: AP/+ (Arrillaga Parola Arquitectos/+)
Architect: AP/+ (Arrillaga Parola Arquitectos/+)
Project Team: Arch. Ignacio Arrillaga, Arch. Walter Parola, Arch. Mariano Escribano for study AP/+
Project manager: Arch. Ignacio Arrillaga, Arch. Walter Parola, Arch. Mariano Escribano for study AP/+
Structural calculation: Ing. Juan Manuel Fratti
Execution of the work: Cocyar S.A
Floors and Coatings: ILVA Porcelanatos
Facade profiles: ALUAR Aluminio Argentino
Elevator: Guillemi Ascensores
Landscaping: Duende del Jardín
Lighting: Zottico iluminación
Interior furniture: Muebles Natalia
Outdoor equipment: Pampa living
Signage: EMEGE Carteles Santa Fé
Photography: Ramiro Sosa